Jeremy Till leaves Westminster to head up Central Saint Martins

Jeremy Till is to leave the University of Westminster after four years to head up Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design (CSM), part of University of the Arts London.

The academic, who curated the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2006 and has been described as a ‘self-styled radical’, will take over from CSM’s current figurehead Jane Rapley in August this year (2012).

Till led the school of architecture at the University of Sheffield for nine years before leaving in 2008 to take up the role of dean of the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at Westminster (see his full CV here).

We need to make sure we are flexible and responsive to the demands of students and the wider society

Once installed at CSM, Till will take responsibility for 4,500 students and 400 staff at the college’s new King’s Cross home designed by Stanton Williams.

He has been asked to ‘develop CSM’s tradition of experimentation, innovation and risk-taking’ and as part of his new role - seen as a major promotion for him - Till will also become a member of University of the Arts London’s executive Board, which oversees the strategic direction of the university as a whole.

Till hailed the move as an ‘extraordinary opportunity’. He said: ’ Although these are potentially volatile times for UK higher education, CSM is well-positioned to face the future with confidence, particularly now that all the college’s disciplines are under one roof for the first time in its astonishing new home in King’s Cross.

‘Above all, we need to make sure we are flexible and responsive to the demands of students and the wider society. Ensuring CSM is agile enough to remain ahead of these changing circumstances will be one of my over-riding priorities.’

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